In the packing of goods in multiple levels in a box or other shipping container, it may be desirable to have a packing insert placed in the shipping container that extends between levels of the goods in the container to avoid the weight of the goods in an upper level from bearing against the goods below. This also tends to strengthen the container when several of the containers are stacked one upon another. For example, packing inserts may be used in containers for protecting food products, products that comprise fragile goods or soft goods like bread, or other products that might become damaged by the weight of an upper layer of goods bearing down on a lower layer of goods.
One form of a packing insert might be an inverted U-shaped cardboard sheet having an intermediate portion that is to be placed over the goods and facing the opening of the shipping container and opposed lateral sides bent downwardly to form the inverted U-shape. The lower layer of goods will be placed in the shipping container before the packing insert is placed in the container. The downwardly extending lateral sides of the packing insert will be telescopically tucked into the container adjacent the opposite side walls of the container, between the side walls and the goods in the container, until the lateral sides of the packing insert extend down into engagement with the bottom of the container and the intermediate portion of the packing insert extends across the top of the goods in the shipping container. The lateral sides of the packing insert provide support for the intermediate portion of the packing insert that extends over the lower layer of the goods. The intermediate portion of the packing insert functions to support the upper layer of goods.
The U-shaped packing insert may also rigidify the shipping container so that several shipping containers may be stacked upon one another without damage to the containers and the goods in the containers. This also helps to protect the container from penetration by sharp objects, thereby assuring safer delivery to the customer.
Generally, the panel that forms the U-shaped packing insert, which in this instance is considered to be the “work product”, may include score lines that assist in folding the panel into the correct proportions that correspond to the proportions of the container and the goods in the container. While the use of score lines on the panels assist in forming the panel into a U-shape, it is still burdensome for the panels to be properly bent and inserted into the containers by hand in a large volume continuous packing operation.